The sun was shining brightly despite the autumn season. The wind blew softly, scattering the fallen autumn leaves all over the ground. In spite of the slightly cold weather, dozens of people could still be seen walking around minding their daily business, one of them being shopping.
Nuriko sat at the park bench waiting for his sweetheart to appear, dressed to the nines in his autumn dress, high platform shoes and a coat of fake polar bear fur. He had the right mind to just go straight up to Tasuki’s home and go to the park at Kanagawa MRT station from there, but when he knocked on the door several times without response, he assumed that Tasuki must have had a head-start and decided reluctantly to do whatever the letter said he should. As he waited, he began to fantasize his would-be glorious date with Tasuki…
“Sunimase, Nuri-chan,” Tasuki runs towards him with a bouquet of red roses. “Am I too late?”
“Ie, I just got here,” Nuriko replies shyly.
“Here, my love,” Tasuki said as he hands the bouquet of roses to him. “For you.”
“Arigatogozaimasu, Tasu-chan. You shouldn’t have.”
“Did you know that red roses mean ‘Aishiteru’? That’s how I feel for you everyday of my life. Nothing is too much for you. So, my love, what places do you have in mind?”
“Anywhere you’re going, sweetheart. You call the shots.”
“Well, I have planned for us to have a nice Italian lunch, then to watch a movie of your choice, and finally a nice, long walk together at the Howaita Park where that famous actor and actress did their love scene. It’s a great spot for passionate couples like we are.”
“That sounds great, but time sure flies when we’re having fun. By the time we finish doing all that, it’ll be time for us to go back to the apartment and part to our homes.”
“We don’t have to go home if you don’t want to.” Tasuki grins naughtily. Nuriko blushes and looks away.
“Anno…You’re evil…”
“Not as evil as what you’re thinking right now. Come, love, let’s start this wondrous day with a kiss.”
“Tasu-chan…”
“Nuri-chan…”
“Nuriko-san!”
Nuriko broke from his fantasies and turned expectantly towards the voice. Unfortunately, instead of his beloved Tasu-chan, he was disappointed to see his fourth floor tenant Hotohori approaching him, holding something behind his back. Instead of wearing the normal business suit he had always seen him on, he was wearing an outstanding body-fit sleeveless T-shirt and leather jeans, with a denim jacket and fashionable shoes to match. Nuriko was taken aback for a moment at his change before frowning a little.
“Hotohori-san, what are you doing here?”
“A-re? Anno, you asked me out, remember?” Hotohori was caught by surprise, then presented a bouquet of red roses to him and smiled. “I hope I’m not too late.”
“A…Arigatogozaimas…” Nuriko accepted the roses absentmindedly at first, surprised to see that one of his imagination coming true. Then he shook his head and said, “Ie, I don’t remember asking you out. I’m actually waiting for my koibito Tasu-chan. He asked me out.”
“Demo, your letter did say to meet you here,” Hotohori muttered as he took out the letter he kept in his pocket. Nuriko saw it and took his letter from his purse as well. As they compared them, they realized that the handwriting on both letters was exactly the same.
“That’s not my handwriting,” Nuriko blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Not my handwriting either. Who did you say asked you out again?”
“My Tasu-chan. I mean, Tasuki.”
Hotohori smiled a little and folded the letter before saying, “I think I know what’s going on now.”
“Sodeska. Me too,” Nuriko scowled as he crumpled the letter and aimed it at the nearest trashcan.
An awkward silence ensued. Hiding behind a huge tree at the far end of the park was Tasuki carrying Chichiri on his back. They have waited until both Hotohori and Nuriko left the apartment completely before following behind them. Tasuki was horrified when Nuriko came knocking at his door before and was afraid his plans would backfire at him. He hid out in the closet together with Chichiri just in case Nuriko decided to barge into the house and waited until the knocking stopped. Luckily the worst never happened. He safely followed behind Nuriko all the way to Kanagawa MRT station and the park, taking care not to be busted.
“Anno, I wonder what’s going to happen next,” Tasuki said as he continued to watch Nuriko and Hotohori fidget around in nervousness. “I hope our plan works.”
Chichiri mewed in agreement. He was the one who started it. He hoped it would end happily.
“Sunimase,” Nuriko apologized as he gathered himself. “I got you dragged into this situation. Better not waste your time. When I get home, Tasu-chan is so going to…”
“Ma…Matte! Chotto matte, Nuriko-san!” Hotohori instinctively took Nuriko’s wrist without realizing what he was doing. When he did, he let it go abruptly, blushing as he said, “Sunimase…”
“Nande, Hotohori-san?”
“Anno…” Hotohori scratched his chin nervously and continued, “Since we’re already here anyway, we might as well spend the moment. I can’t throw away these movie tickets to watch the latest horror craze ‘Futago no Ichigo’ now, can I? And there’s no one else to go with me…”
“Honto ni? You mean that horror movie where that famous actor Takeshi Kaneshiro collaborates with Boa, Ayumi Hamasaki and the rock band Baad in their debut film? They are the bomb! I’ve been looking forward to that show for ages!” Nuriko exclaimed excitedly at first, then shrank away, clearing his throat, “Demo, how did you get it anyway? I thought it’s sold out almost as soon as the ticket booth opens.”
“One of the part-time ticket sellers is a son of one of my major clients. He managed to reserve two for me when I made the call and he gave it to me yesterday after his shift.”
“What time did you get?”
“5.00 p.m. 5 hours from now.”
“So, uh…” Nuriko fidded with his fringe before saying hesitantly, “Anno…what are we gonna do till then?”
“We can always go for Italian for starters.”
Nuriko blushed slightly. It was almost the same as his imagination, but only the person he was with was different. He finally took a deep breath and replied, “Hai, Italian it is. Iku yo.”
And so the so-called ‘date’ began. They started off by having a fine Italian lunch. Then they went from one shop to another to do a little shopping to pass the time. Nuriko was rather impressed that Hotohori knew as much fashion and cosmetics as a woman does and was glad that he had someone other than his female friends to talk about such things. After killing time at shopping, they went to watch ‘Futago no Ichigo’ and had the thrill of their lives being scared here and there by the scenes. Nuriko even jumped and hugged Hotohori just as Hotohori imagined he would, only to realize what he was doing and sat back, but not before Hotohori put a reassuring hand on his. After the movie, they actually took a walk at Howaita Park, just as Nuriko had imagined. Everything he imagined had come true, but in the form of someone else. Nuriko felt a little akward for all this coincidences happening.
All through the date, Tasuki and Chichiri never missed a bit, trailing behind secretly and watching their every move.
“Ahh! Subarashii! That movie was way cool!” Nuriko flung his arms out wide in satisfaction. “Takeshi gets cuter every time he’s on screen!”
“Yeah, and I gotta admit the band Baad was rather good in acting,” Hotohori chuckled. “Although Boa’s makeup was a little too thick and Ayumi had gained a little weight.”
“You noticed that too? Man, they really feel different on the movie screen compared to when they’re in video clips.”
“Demo, Nuriko-san, if you don’t mind me asking…are you and Tasuki…well…involved with each other or something?”
Nuriko stared at Hotohori for a while, then replied, “Ie…I wish we were. No matter how much I try, he doesn’t seem to show interest in me.”
“And with good reason too,” Tasuki muttered in disgust from the monument he was hiding behind.
“Demo, I won’t give up though. All that’s gonna change after my surgery. He’s definitely the perfect guy I want to grow old with. Once I’ve become a real woman, he’ll be sure to fall head over heels for me. I’m sure of it! Tasuki wa yasashii ne!”
“In your dreams, you she-male!” Tasuki pretended to gag himself, sticking at his tongue and pointed his finger at his throat. Chichiri made a kitty giggle.
“What exactly do you see in him anyway?” Hotohori asked suddenly after a long silence.
“Nani?” Nuriko was caught unaware by the question.
“What does he have that I don’t?” Hotohori turned to Nuriko, his face both serious and blushing.
“Ho…Hotohori-san…” Nuriko was surprised to hear this coming out of the man he barely knew. He blushed too as he looked away and said, “Well…he’s cute, for one thing, and he’s funny and smart. I dunno, there’s something about him that caught my attention when I first saw him coming to my apartment asking for a vacant home. Something really wild and different in him. I guess I’m a sucker for bad boy images, you know?”
“Bad boy? Do I look like a bad boy image to you?” Tasuki turned to Chichiri. Seeing the funny expression on his man-cat’s face, he sweatdropped and said, “Anno, forget I asked.”
“Sou ka…” Hotohori sighed and looked away. Nuriko stared at him for a while before putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Ne, Hotohori-san, doushite nayo?”
“Nanimo.”
“You didn’t ask me out of curiosity now, did you?”
“Ie…”
“Then why the sudden reaction?”
“I think you can guess for yourself,” Hotohori said a little grudgingly. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that when a man asks you things like that, it means that he has feelings for you.”
Nuriko suddenly burst out laughing as he clapped Hotohori’s back humorously. After a few minutes of guffawing like an idiot, he said breathlessly, “You’re such a funny man when you act so tough and pouty and all that. I almost find it cute. But seriously, I can’t really consider you now. You know I want Tasuki as my koibito and I have no intention to date around with other people.”
“That still doesn’t change what I feel for you,” Hotohori replied, flashing him a drop dead smile that can melt even the coldest of hearts. Nuriko looked away, pretending to be unperturbed by the suavity he just portrayed.
“How’s about we just start of as friends? You know, like the brother-sister kind of friends. Would it make you less pouty than you are right now?”
“Hmm…Walking around like brothers and sisters. Well, that does sound much closer than just being friends…” Hotohori considered for a while before putting his arm around Nuriko in a friendly matter. “Alright, brother-sister friendship it is, one-san.”
“Hai, oni-san!”
“I guess we’re off to a good start,” Tasuki said as he quietly left his hiding place. “Let’s give them a little alone time. What do you say we get something nice and hot to drink? I’m freezing out here, and I fancy a sweet potato right now.”
Chichiri mewed, licking his lips. The rest of the day was spent with a nice hot cup of vanilla and window shopping with Chichiri on his usual piggy back ride. Needless to say that when he got home, he was approached by a rather fuming Nuriko and was given a black eye and a threat that if he ever pulled another stunt like that his next rent will be tripled.
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